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Poor utilization of funds and irregular disbursals have been cited as the reasons for India’s school education system failing to show desired improvement even as the government has more than doubled funds for education programmes in the past two years.
The government has spent just 70% of the funds allocated for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (education for all) and Right to Education in 2010-11 compared with 78% in the year earlier, according to the Planning, Allocations and Expenditures, Institutions: Studies in Accountability report, prepared by the Accountability Initiative, a wing of Centre for Policy Research.
The report, which surveyed 14,283 schools in rural India, found that flow of funds had slowed in the first half of 2010-11. “The timing of the grant receipts has worsened. By November 2009, 59% of schools reported receiving grants. In 2011, grants receipt by November dropped to 53%.”
In the national budget for the year starting 1 April, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee increased the allocation for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Right to Education by 21.7% to Rs.25,555 crore. The government is increasing spending on education to help prepare the youth to join the workforce and contribute to the economic growth of Asia’s third biggest economy.
Funds, including allocations by states, for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has more than doubled between 2009-10 and 2011-12. The allocation increased from Rs.26,169 crore to Rs.55,746 crore, according to the Accountability Initiative report.
Studies have indicated that the quality of India’s school education is declining and such a trend can affect the long-term competitiveness of an economy that aims to become the knowledge hub of the world.
“An increased financial allocation does not necessarily mean better quality of education,” said Yamini Aiyar, director of Accountability Initiatives. “We did not find this in our survey. The utilization of resources is a huge concern.”
Only 84% of the schools received maintenance grants in 2010-11 under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan compared with 85% a year earlier, the study said. Similarly, development grants reached just 77% of the schools during the same period, a drop of six percentage points from the previous year.
Meanwhile, the human resources development (HRD) ministry held a meeting on Tuesday to assess the outcome of the implementation of the right to education in the past 18 months.
HRD minister Kapil Sibal said the impact of the spending will be visible in five years. “The success of the Right to Education can be achieved through partnership between the Centre and state governments, civil society, parents and teachers,” a ministry statement said, citing Sibal. “He also underlined the need for curriculum and text books reform as it is seen that books are not always age appropriate.”
Enrolment at elementary level has increased to 192.8 million in 2010-11 from 179 million in 2006-07, according to the ministry. The total number of teachers in government schools have increased to 4.19 million in 2010-11 from 3.6 million in 2006-07, improving the teacher-student ratio, it said. Following the implementation of the right to education, there has been a “substantial increase in the availability of basic facilities in schools, including increase in percentage of schools having drinking water facility (92.6%) in 2010-11, according to HRD ministry. Separate toilets for girl students are now available in 57% of schools, the ministry said.
The Accountability Initiative report said there was some improvement in school infrastructure but 47% of schools still have fewer classrooms than required.
On the issue of the poor management of funds allocated for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Right to Education programmes, a ministry official said that “they are aware of the situation and talking to states to iron out the issues”. The official, who declined to be named, said fiscal prudence is one of their key focus now and in coming years one can “see the difference.”
http://www.livemint.com/2012/03/20215832/Education-quality-down-onpoor.html?atype=tp
The government has spent just 70% of the funds allocated for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (education for all) and Right to Education in 2010-11 compared with 78% in the year earlier, according to the Planning, Allocations and Expenditures, Institutions: Studies in Accountability report, prepared by the Accountability Initiative, a wing of Centre for Policy Research.
The report, which surveyed 14,283 schools in rural India, found that flow of funds had slowed in the first half of 2010-11. “The timing of the grant receipts has worsened. By November 2009, 59% of schools reported receiving grants. In 2011, grants receipt by November dropped to 53%.”
In the national budget for the year starting 1 April, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee increased the allocation for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Right to Education by 21.7% to Rs.25,555 crore. The government is increasing spending on education to help prepare the youth to join the workforce and contribute to the economic growth of Asia’s third biggest economy.
Funds, including allocations by states, for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has more than doubled between 2009-10 and 2011-12. The allocation increased from Rs.26,169 crore to Rs.55,746 crore, according to the Accountability Initiative report.
Studies have indicated that the quality of India’s school education is declining and such a trend can affect the long-term competitiveness of an economy that aims to become the knowledge hub of the world.
“An increased financial allocation does not necessarily mean better quality of education,” said Yamini Aiyar, director of Accountability Initiatives. “We did not find this in our survey. The utilization of resources is a huge concern.”
Only 84% of the schools received maintenance grants in 2010-11 under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan compared with 85% a year earlier, the study said. Similarly, development grants reached just 77% of the schools during the same period, a drop of six percentage points from the previous year.
Meanwhile, the human resources development (HRD) ministry held a meeting on Tuesday to assess the outcome of the implementation of the right to education in the past 18 months.
HRD minister Kapil Sibal said the impact of the spending will be visible in five years. “The success of the Right to Education can be achieved through partnership between the Centre and state governments, civil society, parents and teachers,” a ministry statement said, citing Sibal. “He also underlined the need for curriculum and text books reform as it is seen that books are not always age appropriate.”
Enrolment at elementary level has increased to 192.8 million in 2010-11 from 179 million in 2006-07, according to the ministry. The total number of teachers in government schools have increased to 4.19 million in 2010-11 from 3.6 million in 2006-07, improving the teacher-student ratio, it said. Following the implementation of the right to education, there has been a “substantial increase in the availability of basic facilities in schools, including increase in percentage of schools having drinking water facility (92.6%) in 2010-11, according to HRD ministry. Separate toilets for girl students are now available in 57% of schools, the ministry said.
The Accountability Initiative report said there was some improvement in school infrastructure but 47% of schools still have fewer classrooms than required.
On the issue of the poor management of funds allocated for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Right to Education programmes, a ministry official said that “they are aware of the situation and talking to states to iron out the issues”. The official, who declined to be named, said fiscal prudence is one of their key focus now and in coming years one can “see the difference.”
http://www.livemint.com/2012/03/20215832/Education-quality-down-onpoor.html?atype=tp
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